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How Steam Deck Verified and Playable Ratings Work

Verified means a game passes Valve’s Deck compatibility checks without extra setup; Playable means it works but may need a tweak. Here’s what Valve evaluates and how to read each rating.
Length3 min Posted Quest giverVGSources Team
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Verified means a game meets Valve’s compatibility checks and works well on Steam Deck without extra setup. Playable means it functions, but may need a tweak—such as choosing a controller layout or using the touchscreen for a launcher. The badge is a compatibility guide, not a promise about game quality or identical performance in every configuration.

What each Steam Deck compatibility rating means

Rating Valve’s meaning What to expect
Verified Works great on Deck out of the box and passes all compatibility checks. All functionality is accessible without user configuration. It is the best fit when you want a low-setup experience.
Playable The game functions but may require manual tweaking. Check the game’s compatibility details: the adjustment might be minor, such as selecting a community controller configuration, opening the on-screen keyboard yourself, or using touch controls for a launcher.
Unsupported The game is currently not functional on Deck, or has an incompatibility with Proton or specific hardware components. Expect a blocking compatibility problem at the time of review. A later update to the game, Proton, or Deck may change the result.
Unknown The game has not completed review. Valve has not provided a rating; Unknown does not mean the game failed testing.

Most checklist issues result in Playable if the game otherwise works. A Proton-related blocking bug or performance problem may instead result in Unsupported.

What Valve checks

Valve groups its public compatibility guidance under four headings. Steamworks documentation adds implementation details, including the default-configuration performance threshold.

Input

The built-in controls must make all game content accessible using the default controller configuration, without requiring an in-game settings change. On-screen button prompts should match the active input. If the game requires text entry, it must open Steam’s on-screen keyboard or provide a way to enter text using a controller alone.

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Display

The game must run at a supported Deck resolution. Valve recommends the Deck’s native 1280×800 or 1280×720 resolutions, good default settings, and readable text. Steamworks specifies that interface text must be readable from 12 inches (30 cm); at 1280×800, the smallest character must be at least 9 pixels high, with 12 pixels recommended where possible.

Performance

Valve’s Steamworks checklist specifies a playable frame rate of 30 fps at 800p on the default configuration. This is a review threshold for that configuration, not a guarantee of a locked 30 fps in every scene or on every user’s settings.

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Seamlessness

The game should not warn that Deck software or hardware is unsupported. Any launcher must be fully usable with a controller; Valve strongly recommends avoiding a launcher requirement altogether.

System support

For games running through Proton, the game and all required middleware must be supported. Valve specifically calls out anti-cheat support; unsupported middleware can prevent a game from working and lead to an Unsupported result.

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How to check a game’s rating and its caveats

  1. Open the game’s Steam Store page or find it in your Deck library. The rating is shown for titles Valve has reviewed.
  2. Open the Steam Deck Compatibility section on the Store page. It explains which requirement a reviewed game does not meet.
  3. On Deck, filter your library by compatibility rating to narrow the list by badge.

When comparing games, focus on whether all content works, how much setup is needed, and the specific issue in the compatibility details. A badge does not measure a game’s overall quality.

Why a rating can change

A compatibility rating is a snapshot, not a permanent guarantee. Game updates, Proton fixes, Deck improvements, review updates, and new information from developers or users can change the result. Valve described ratings as a snapshot in its March 4, 2022 Steam Deck announcement, noting that compatibility can shift as games and support improve. That announcement’s milestone of more than a thousand games rated Verified or Playable was a figure reported at the time, not a current catalog count.

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Valve tests titles against its checklist and shares detailed results with developers. The documented Steamworks workflow gives partners a preview period before public release; results may publish automatically after roughly a week if a developer takes no action. Titles can enter the queue through automated heuristics, Valve prioritization, or a developer request when that option is available. The Steamworks compatibility documentation describes the criteria and workflow.

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Do the ratings apply to LCD and OLED Decks?

Valve says tested titles retain their compatibility ratings on both LCD and OLED Steam Deck models. That shared rating does not promise identical frame rates, battery life, or visual performance across settings. See Valve’s Steam Deck technical information for device context.

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Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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